Configuring wireless access points

ABSTRACT

Techniques are provided for the configuration of a home-networking system. Home-networking configuration information may be stored on a host system in a manner accessible to the home-networking system and migrated to a home-networking gateway or router that has not yet been configured. Wireless configuration information may be stored on a home-networking gateway or router and used to configure one or more wireless access points through the use of a physical connection, such as a wired communications pathway. One or more wireless home-networking devices may be configured based on wireless configuration information stored in a central repository on a host system or a home-networking system. The wireless configuration information may be accessible only through the use of a security code.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This description relates to the configuration of a home network ofcomputing devices.

BACKGROUND

In a home network of computing devices, a device on the networktypically is set up or configured with particular information thatenables communications with the other devices on the network. Forinstance, in a household that includes more than one personal computingdevice or digital entertainment device, a network may include a routerthat is configured to operate with each device and to directcommunications between the devices. When a network includes wirelesscommunications, the wireless devices and the wireless access points thatconnect the wireless devices to the network typically are configured tocommunicate using a common set of wireless parameters or settings.

SUMMARY

In one general aspect, configuring a wireless access point includesestablishing a communications session over a wired connection between awireless access point and a home-networking gateway. Wirelessconfiguration information at the home-networking gateway is accessed,and the accessed wireless configuration information is communicatedbetween the home-networking gateway and the wireless access point.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Forexample, the wireless access point may be configured based on theaccessed configuration information. Establishing a communicationssession and communicating the accessed wireless configurationinformation may be repeated with more than one wireless access point.

Wireless configuration information may include a security key and anetwork name. Wireless configuration information also may include a listof one or more devices that are permitted to access the home network.

Configuring a wireless access point may include sending a request to thehome-networking gateway for wireless configuration information andreceiving the accessed wireless configuration information at thewireless access point. Configuring a wireless access point also mayinclude locating wireless configuration information and sending theaccessed wireless configuration information from the home-networkinggateway to the wireless access point. Configuring a wireless accesspoint may include retrieving the wireless configuration information froma trusted system through a communications session established betweenthe home-networking gateway and the trusted system and sending theaccessed wireless configuration information to the wireless accesspoint.

Configuring a wireless access point also may include determining whetherthe wireless access point is configured to communicate with thehome-networking gateway using a wireless pathway and communicating theaccessed wireless configuration information between the home-networkinggateway and the wireless access point when the wireless access point isnot configured to communicate with the home-networking gateway using awireless pathway.

Communicating the accessed wireless configuration information mayinclude communicating the accessed wireless configuration informationbetween the home-networking gateway and the wireless access point inresponse to a request by a user associated with the home-networkinggateway. Communicating the accessed wireless may include communicatingthe accessed wireless configuration information between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point automatically inresponse to confirmation from a user that confirms wirelessconfiguration information should be communicated between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point or transparentlyto a user associated with the home-networking gateway.

Accessing wireless configuration information may include accessingwireless configuration information at the home-networking gatewayautomatically in response to confirmation from a user that confirmswireless configuration information should be communicated between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point or transparentlyto a user associated with the home-networking gateway.

Implementations of the techniques discussed above may include a methodor process, an apparatus or system, or computer software on acomputer-accessible medium.

The details of one or more implementations set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features will be apparent fromthe description and drawings, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary communicationssystem capable of configuring devices used in a home network.

FIGS. 2 and 3 are block diagrams illustrating communications between aclient device, a home-networking gateway, and a host system to configurethe home networking gateway.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of a process performed to configure a homenetworking gateway.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a process performed to configure one or morewireless access points.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating communications between a wirelessaccess point and a home-networking gateway to configure the wirelessaccess point.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating communications between a wirelessdevice and a home-networking gateway to configure the wireless device.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Techniques are provided for the configuration of a home-networkingsystem and/or particular components of such a system. Home-networkingconfiguration information may be stored on a host system accessible tothe home-networking system and migrated to a home-networking gateway ora router that has not yet been configured. Wireless configurationinformation stored on or accessible to a home-networking gateway or arouter may be used to configure one or more wireless access points,generally through the use of a physical connection, such as a wiredcommunications pathway. One or more wireless home-networking devices maybe configured based on wireless configuration information stored in acentral repository of the host system or the home-networking system. Thewireless configuration information may be accessible only through theuse of a security code.

Referring to FIG. 1, a home networking system 100 includes multiplehome-networked devices 112 (“devices”) connected to each other and to ahome-networking gateway 115. The home-networking gateway 115 isconnected to a host system 120 through a communication device 119 overcommunication links 130.

The home networking system 100 enables the devices 112 to communicatewith the host system 120 through the home-networking gateway 115 usingthe single communication device 119. The devices 112, thehome-networking gateway 115, and the communication device 119 may beincluded in a home network 110 physically located in a personalresidence (e.g., a single-family dwelling, a house, a townhouse, anapartment, or a condominium). The home-networking gateway 115 generallyis local to the home network 110. The home-networking gateway 115 islocated logically between the devices 112 and a host system 120 that isexternal to the home network 110. The host system 120 may be, forexample, an Internet access provider device, an Internet serviceprovider device, an online host system proxy server, or another externalsystem device.

The devices 112 and the home-networking gateway 115 typically arelocated in a physical place that enables the home-networking gateway 115to network with the devices 112. In one implementation, for example, thehome-networking gateway 115 is physically located in a personalresidence, and the devices 112 are physically located such thatcommunications with the home-networking gateway 115 are enabled andmaintained. For instance, when the home-networking gateway 115 isphysically located in a personal residence, the devices 112 also may bephysically located in the personal residence. However, the location ofthe home-networking gateway 115 in the personal residence does notnecessarily preclude one or more of the devices 112 from being networkedto the home-networking gateway 115 from a remote location. Similarly,the location of the home-networking gateway in the personal residencedoes not necessarily preclude use of one or more of the devices 112 fromoutside of the personal residence or communication by those devices withthe host system 120 through the home-networking gateway 115. Forinstance, the devices 112 may include one or more portable computingdevices that may be taken outside of the personal residence and stillremain connected through a wireless access point to the home-networkinggateway 115 located within the personal residence.

The devices 112 may include one or more general-purpose computers (e.g.,personal computers), one or more special-purpose computers (e.g.,devices specifically programmed to communicate with the home-networkinggateway 115 and/or the host system 120), or a combination of one or moregeneral-purpose computers and one or more special-purpose computers.Other examples of devices 112 include a workstation, a server, anappliance (e.g., a refrigerator, a microwave, and an oven), anintelligent household device (e.g., a thermostat, a security system, aheating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, and a stereosystem), a device, a component, other physical or virtual equipment, orsome combination of these elements capable of responding to andexecuting instructions within the system architecture.

FIG. 1 shows several implementations and possible combinations ofdevices and systems used within the home networking system 100. Forbrevity, only a few illustrative elements are included in homenetworking system 100.

As illustrated by FIG. 1, examples of devices 112 may include, but arenot limited to, a personal computer with a Windows™ OS 112 a, aMacintosh™ personal computer 112 b, a TV set-top box 112 c, a gamedevice 112 d, a home appliance 112 e, a laptop or otherwise portablecomputer 112 f, a personal digital assistant (PDA) 112 g, and a wirelessaccess point (WAP) 112 h. Some of the devices, such as a personalcomputer with Windows™ OS 112 a, a Macintosh™ personal computer 112 b, aTV set-top box 112 c, a game device 112 d, and a home appliance 112 e,typically communicate with the home-networking gateway 115 through awired network.

Some of the other devices, such as a laptop computer 112 f and a PDA 112g, typically communicate with the home-networking gateway 115 using awireless access point 112 h. When devices communicate using wirelessaccess point 112 h, they may be referred to as wireless devices.Wireless devices are not limited to portable devices. For example, adesktop personal computer, such as a personal computer with a Windows™OS 112 a or a Macintosh™ personal computer 112 b, may communicate usingwireless access point 112 h. Specifically, the wireless devicescommunicate over a wireless communications pathway to the wirelessaccess point 112 h. The wireless access point 112 h is connected tohome-networking gateway 115 through the wired network and transmitscommunications received from wireless devices to the home-networkinggateway 115. In some implementations, the wireless access point 112 hmay be a component of the home-networking gateway 115.

A wireless communications pathway may use various protocols tocommunicate from a wireless devices to a wireless access point 112 h.For example, the wireless communications pathway may use wirelesstechnology based on the Institute of Electrical and ElectronicsEngineers, Inc. (IEEE) 802.11 standard (such as 802.11b or 802.11a). Thewireless communications pathway also may use wireless technology basedon the Bluetooth approach for short range wireless communications, otherpersonal area network (PAN) technologies, or other wireless technology,such as the HiperLan2 standard by the European TelecommunicationsStandards Institute (ETSI).

Some of the devices 112, such as personal computer with Windows™ OS 112a, Macintosh™ personal computer 112 b, laptop computer 112 f, and PDA112 g, include software for logging on to the host system 120 using aparticular user associated with the user of the device. Such devices maybe referred to as client devices. Other devices, such as home appliance112 g, may include software for logging on to host system 120 withoutidentifying an associated user of the user of the device. Yet otherdevices, such as TV set-top 112 c and game device 112 d, may beconfigured to function either as a client device or a non-client devicedepending on the function being performed.

The home-networking gateway 115 may include a home gateway device, suchas a gateway, a router, or another communication device. Thehome-networking gateway 115 also may include a digital hub capable ofreceiving broadcast video signals, receiving communication data (such asthrough a broadband connection), and distributing the signals and datato devices 112. The home-networking gateway 115 may include anothercommunications device and/or a home entertainment device, such as astereo system, a radio tuner, a TV tuner, a portable music player, apersonal video recorder, and a gaming device. The home-networkinggateway 115 communicates with the host system 120 over communicationslinks 130. In some implementations, host system 120 may be an onlineaccess provider, such as an Internet access provider or an Internetservice provider.

The home-networking gateway 115 typically connects to the host system120 using a communication device 119. Examples of the communicationdevice 119 may include (and are not limited to) a satellite modem 119 a,an analog modem 119 b, a cable modem 119 c, and a DSL modem 119 d. Thehome-networking gateway 115 uses the communication device 119 tocommunicate through communication links 130 with the host system 120.The communication links 130 may include various types of communicationdelivery systems that correspond to the type of communication device 119being used. For example, if the home-networking gateway 115 includes asatellite modem 119 a, then the communications from a device 112 and anassociated home-networking gateway 115 may be delivered to the hostsystem 120 using a satellite dish 130 a and a satellite 130 b. Theanalog modem 119 b may use one of several communications links 119, suchas the satellite dish 130 a and satellite 130 b, the Plain Old TelephoneService (POTS) 130 c, and the Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) 130d. The cable modem 119 c typically uses the CMTS 130 d to deliver andreceive communications from the host system 120. The DSL modem 119 dtypically delivers and receives communications with the host system 120through a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer (DSLAM) 130 e andan Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) network 130 f.

The home networking system 100 may use various protocols to communicatebetween the devices 112 and the home-networking gateway 115 and betweenthe home-networking gateway 115 and the host system 120. For example, afirst protocol may be used to communicate between the devices 112 andthe home-networking gateway 115, and a second protocol may be used tocommunicate between the home-networking gateway 115 and the host system120. In one implementation, the first protocol and the second protocolmay be the same. In another implementation, the first protocol and thesecond protocol may be different. The home-networking gateway 115 mayinclude different hardware and/or software modules to implementdifferent home networking system protocols.

The home-networking gateway 115 may include identifying information 115a, such as a MAC (“Media Access Control”) address and/or a networkaddress, that may uniquely identify a home-networking gateway 115. Theidentifying information 115 a also may include an identifier or a nameassigned by the host system 120.

The home-networking gateway also may store configuration information,such as home-networking gateway configuration information 115 b andwireless configuration information 115 c. Home-networking gatewayconfiguration information 115 b may be stored in a table or a list onthe home-networking gateway 115. The configuration information 115 b maybe associated with identifying information 115 a for the home-networkinggateway 115 and/or a user account that is permitted access to the hostsystem 120.

The home-networking gateway configuration information 115 b also mayinclude device information for devices 112 associated with thehome-network 110. Device information may include a device identifier fora device, such as devices 112 a-112 h. The device identifier may includea hardware device identifier, such as a MAC address, and/or a networkaddress, such as a static IP address associated with the device or adynamic IP address. The dynamic IP address may be assigned byhome-networking gateway 115, by some other network device, or by thehost system 120 through the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol oranother protocol that enables the dynamic allocation of an IP address toa device on a network. The device information associated with eachdevice may include, for example, the type of device (e.g., a client or anon-client device), the class of device (e.g., a gaming device, apersonal computer, or a PDA), the type of platform (e.g., the type ofhardware, such as a Macintosh™ personal computer, a Windows™-basedpersonal computer, a PDA, a home appliance, or an entertainment device),and/or the operating environment (e.g., the operating system type and/orversion).

The device information also may include a user-assigned name. Theuser-assigned name may be referred to as a familiar name or a nickname.For example, an identifier for a particular game device may beassociated with the user-assigned name of “Billy's game device.”

The device information also may include parental control information orother types of access restrictions that are associated with the device.For example, a stereo system or other entertainment system connected tothe network may not be accessible between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6a.m. Similarly, a gaming device may be accessible only between the hoursof 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. on weekdays and between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9p.m. on a weekend day or a holiday. These types of access restrictionsmay be particularly beneficial when a household includes teenagechildren.

The home-networking gateway configuration information 115 b may includeprotocol information necessary to configure the home-networking gateway115 to communicate with devices 112. Protocol information may includeprotocol information that describes how to establish communication withone or more of devices 112, how to configure the wireless access point112 h, or how to configure wireless devices, such as the laptop computer112 f or the PDA 112 g.

The wireless configuration information 115 c may be stored in a table ora list on the home-networking gateway 115. The wireless configurationinformation 115 c may include a security key, such as a wired equivalentprivacy (WEP) key that may be used to encrypt and decrypt transmitteddata, and a wireless network name, such as a service set identifier(SSID) that identifies the particular network. The wirelessconfiguration information 115 c also may include a list of devices thatare permitted access to the home network. For example, the wirelessconfiguration information 115 c may include a list of MAC addresses thatuniquely identify the devices that are permitted access to the homenetwork. The wireless configuration information 115 c also may includeother configuration information, such as a level of encryption (e.g.,40-bit encryption or 128-bit encryption) associated with a WEP key. Thestorage of wireless configuration information 115 c may be useful for awireless device, such as laptop computer 112 f that must maintain commonconfiguration information with a wireless access point to enablecommunications with the wireless access point. For instance, a wirelessdevice and a wireless access point may be required to maintain thefollowing configuration information in common to enable them tocommunicate: a WEP key, a SSID, a list of devices that are permittedaccess, and a level of encryption associated with the WEP key (e.g.,40-bit encryption or 128-bit encryption).

The home-networking gateway 115 may be configured in a hub-and-spokeconfiguration in which the functions performed by the home-networkinggateway 115 are distributed to other devices (e.g., a configurationinformation device) that are directed by the home-networking gateway115. Alternatively, for example, the home-networking gateway 115 may beconfigured to include both the configuration information functions andthe gateway functions. The home-networking gateway 115 also may beimplemented in other network configurations.

The home-networking gateway 115 may send identifying information 115 aand wireless configuration information 115 c to wireless devices, suchas the laptop computer 112 f and the PDA 112 g, and the wireless accesspoint 112 h. The devices and the wireless access point 112 f may beconfigured based on the received wireless configuration information 115c.

The home-networking gateway 115 may communicate (e.g., send or receive)the identifying information 115 a and the home-networking gatewayconfiguration information 115 b with the host system 120 using thecommunication device 119. The host system 120 may store the receivedidentifying information 115 a and the home-networking gatewayconfiguration information as configuration information 124, and mayassociate the configuration information with a particular user accountor a unique identifier for the home-networking gateway 115. When ahome-networking gateway 115 is added to a home network (e.g., theprevious home-networking gateway is upgraded or replaced), the hostsystem 120 may provide the configuration information 124 to thehome-networking gateway 115.

In certain implementations, the host system 120 may store configurationinformation 124 for each user account that includes a home-networkinggateway, so as to provide access to a multiple devices. For example, asshown in the table below, the DavidKelly123 user account is associatedwith a home-networking gateway (with the identifier of 12345678);however, no configuration information for the home-networking gatewayassociated with the DavidKelly123 user account is stored on the hostsystem 120. This may be so because the user of the DavidKelly123 useraccount has elected not to use the configuration management, automaticconfiguration, and/or configuration information backup functions of thehost system 120. The host system 120 may include the DavidKelly123 useraccount in configuration information 124 for uses other than forconfiguring a home-networking gateway, a wireless access point, or awireless device. For example, the DavidKelly123 user account may be usedto enable the home-networking gateway 115 to access the host system 120.

Home- User networking account gateway Device information for identifieddevices DavidKelly123 12345678 JaneJones234 23456789 Device informationfor desktop computer 1 and laptop computer 2 JohnSmith345 67890643Device information for laptop computer 1, desktop computer 2, gamesystem 3, and PDA 4 JohnSmith345 43567889 Device information for laptopcomputer 1, desktop computer 2, game system 3, and PDA 4

The JaneJones234 user account is associated with a home-networkinggateway (with the identifier of 23456789) that includes configurationinformation for a desktop computer and a laptop computer accessiblethrough home-networking gateway 23456789.

The JohnSmith345 user account is associated with two home-networkinggateways (with the identifiers of 67890643 and 43567889). Bothhome-networking gateways are configured to communicate with the samedevices (specifically, laptop computer 1, desktop computer 2, gamesystem 3, and PDA 4). The home-networking gateways are associated withthe same configuration information. This may occur, for example, when ahome-networking gateway is replaced with a different home-networkinggateway. The home-networking gateway 43567889 may be deleted orotherwise disassociated with the JohnSmith345 account based on, forexample, a user request or the passage of a predetermined amount of timeafter the storage of the configuration information in association withthe second home-networking gateway (here, 67890643). In someimplementations, configuration information 124 stored on the host systemmay include connection information, such as telephone numbers that maybe used to connect the home-networking gateway 115 to the host system120 and a user name and password used to enable dial-up for narrowbandand broadband connections between the home-networking gateway 115 andthe host system 120.

In some implementations, the host system 120 may send connectioninformation to provide access to the home-networking gateway 115. Theconnection information may include, for example, an Internet Protocol(IP) address or another type of network address and a port to be used toestablish a connection. In some implementations, connection informationalso may include a unique identifier assigned by the host system 120 forthe home-networking gateway 115. The home-networking gateway 115 mayreceive the connection information. The home-networking gateway 115 mayestablish a connection with the host system using the receivedconnection information.

The ability of a host system 120 to transfer the configurationinformation about one home-networking gateway 115 to a differenthome-networking gateway 115 may be useful because a process to configurea home-networking gateway 115 may be cumbersome and/or time-consumingand because the process of configuring a replacement home-networkinggateway typically is redundant of a configuration process previouslyperformed with respect to the home-networking gateway being upgraded orreplaced. By the transfer of configuration information from the hostsystem to the replacement home-networking gateway, the repetition of acumbersome or time-consuming process may be reduced or avoided. Theability to transfer configuration information to a differenthome-networking gateway may be particularly beneficial when many devicesare connected to the network.

In some implementations, the home-networking gateway 115 may perform asor include a wireless access point 112. Additionally or alternatively,the home-networking gateway 115 may communicate with devices using onlya wireless communications pathway. In other implementations, thehome-networking gateway 115 may communicate with devices using only awired communications pathway. Additionally or alternatively, thehome-networking gateway 115 may include one or more of a communicationsdevice 119 and/or one or more of devices 112.

FIG. 2 shows a process 200 to configure a gateway used in a homenetwork. Using process 200, the home-networking gateway is configuredautomatically in response to confirmation by a user. In someimplementations, the home-networking gateway may be transparentlyconfigured such that the user is unaware that the configuration isoccurring and/or user intervention, action, or response is unnecessaryto accomplish the configuration of the home-networking gateway.

A client device 210 may be a device capable of logging on to a hostsystem 220 through a user account. The client device 210 may be, forexample, a personal computer with Windows™ OS 112 a, a Macintosh™personal computer 112 b, a laptop computer 112 f, or a PDA 112 gdescribed previously with respect to FIG. 1. The client device 210communicates with a home-networking gateway 215, such as thehome-networking gateway 115 of FIG. 1. The home-networking gateway 215communicates with a host system 220, such as the host system 120 of FIG.1.

The process 200 begins when the client device 210 submits a request foraccess to the host system 220 (step 230 c). The home-networking gateway215 receives the request for access and forwards the request to the hostsystem 220 along with identifying information (step 230 g). Theidentifying information may include a MAC address and/or a networkaddress that may uniquely identify a home-networking gateway 215. Theidentifying information also may include information that identifies theclient device 210 from which the access request was sent. For example,the identifying information may include the MAC address of the clientdevice 210.

The host system 220 receives the request for access and identifyinginformation (step 230 h) and requests authentication information (step234 h). The home-networking gateway 215 receives the request forauthentication information and forwards the request to the client device210 (step 234 g).

The client device 210 receives the request for authenticationinformation (step 234 c) and submits authentication information (step238 c). For example, the client device 210 may submit a user or screenname and a password or other authenticating information. The clientdevice 210 may obtain authentication information to submit when a userof the client device 210 enters the authentication information orthrough the access of authentication information stored on the homenetwork, such as home network 110 of FIG. 1. The home-networking gateway215 receives the authentication information and forwards theauthentication information to the host system 220 (step 238 g).

The host system 220 receives the authentication information (step 238 h)and authenticates the user account of the client device 210 (step 240h). If the host system 220 determines that the user account associatedwith the client device 210 is not authenticated, the host system maytake any of several actions (not shown), including terminating thesession immediately, sending a message to the client device 210, orsending a message to a master, family or supervisory account associatedwith the home-networking gateway 215.

When the host system 220 determines that the user associated with theclient device 210 is an authenticated user, the host system 220determines whether the home-networking gateway 215 is associated withthe user account (step 244 h). For example, this may be accomplishedwhen the host system 220 includes a table or a list that associates aparticular user account with a home-networking gateway identifier. Thetable or list may be indexed by user account, home-networking gatewayidentifier, or both. The host system 220 may access the table or listusing the user name that was authenticated in step 240 h. The hostsystem 220 may determine whether the home-networking gateway identifierthat had been included in the identifying information received in step230 h is associated with the user account.

When a home-networking gateway 215 is associated with a user account,the home-networking gateway 215 may be referred to as being a registeredhome-networking gateway. When the host system determines that thehome-networking gateway 215 is associated with the user account (e.g.,the home-networking gateway 215 is registered with the host system 220),the host system 220 permits the user associated with the client device210 to access functions and services available from the host system 220.

When the host system 220 determines that the home-networking gateway 215is not associated with the user account (e.g., the home-networkinggateway 215 is not registered with the host system 220), the host system220 requests confirmation from the user associated with the clientdevice 210 that it is appropriate and desirable for the home-networkinggateway 215 to be associated with the user account (e.g., thehome-networking gateway 215 is to be registered) (step 248 h). Thehome-networking gateway 215 receives the request for registrationconfirmation and forwards the request to the client device 210 (step 248g).

The client device 210 receives the request for registration confirmation(step 248 c) and submits registration confirmation that thehome-networking gateway 215 is to be associated with the user account(step 250 c). For example, the client device 210 may submit theregistration confirmation based on receiving a user response to arequest for registration confirmation. The home-networking gateway 215receives the registration confirmation and forwards the registrationconfirmation to the host system 220 (step 250 g).

The host system 220 receives the registration confirmation (step 250 h).The host system 220 associates the home-networking gateway 215 with theuser account associated with the client device 210 (step 258 h). Forexample, the host system 220 may store an association between anidentifier for the home-networking gateway 215 and a user account in thetable or list described previously with respect to step 244 h.

The host system 220 determines whether home-networking gatewayconfiguration information is associated with the user account (step 260h). For example, home-networking gateway configuration information maybe associated with the user account when configuration information ofanother home-networking gateway 215 is associated with the user account.The host system 220 may determine whether home-networking gatewayconfiguration information is associated with the user account, forexample, by determining whether home-networking gateway configurationinformation is associated with another home-networking gateway 215 thatis associated with the user account. The host system 220 may include ahome-networking gateway configuration information table or list. Thehome-networking gateway configuration information may includeinformation such as home-networking gateway configuration information115 b, as described previously with respect to FIG. 1. Thehome-networking gateway configuration information table or list mayinclude an association of a particular home-networking gatewayidentifier with a particular collection of home-networking gatewayconfiguration information. Each particular collection of home-networkinggateway configuration information may be associated further with aparticular user account through the association of a user account and ahome-networking gateway, as described with respect to step 244 h.

When the host system 220 determines that home-networking gatewayconfiguration information is associated with the user account, theprocess 300 described below with respect to FIG. 3 is performed.

When the host system 220 determines that home-networking gatewayconfiguration information is not associated with the user account (e.g.,configuration information is not associated with a differenthome-networking gateway 215 that is associated with the user account),the host system 220 requests home-networking gateway configurationinformation from the user associated with client device 220 (step 264h). The request for configuration information may be associated withdevice information that the host system 220 has retrieved from thehome-networking gateway 215. For example, the host system 220 may accessdevice configuration information stored on the home-networking gateway215 and may include the accessed device configuration information in therequest for configuration information. The device configurationinformation may be device information as described with respect tohome-networking gateway configuration information 115 b of FIG. 1. Insuch a case, the accessed configuration information typically includesdevice information such as an identifier and a type of device fordevices configured to operate with the home-networking gateway. Theaccessed configuration information typically does not include auser-assigned name, parental control information, or other accesscontrol information for the devices.

The configuration information requested may include a user-assignedname, such as a familiar name or a nickname, that may be used toidentify the device, as described with respect to device informationincluded in home-networking gateway configuration information 115 b ofFIG. 1. When the host system 220 applies different levels of parentalcontrols (e.g., child, young teen, mature teen, and adult) tocommunications, and parental control information is not included in theaccessed configuration information, the requested configurationinformation may include a default level of parental control for devicesand identities that seek access to the host system throughhome-networking gateway 215 and/or a default level of parental controlfor each particular device. The host system may apply the default levelof parental control associated with the home-networking gateway 215absent association of a level of parental control with the device beingused to access the host system or a user that is associated with thedevice. When a level of parental control is associated with a user usingthe device, the host system 220 may apply that level of parental controlto communications with the device.

The home-networking gateway 215 receives and forwards the configurationinformation request to the client device 210 (step 264 g). The clientdevice 210 receives the configuration information request (step 264 c).

The user of client device 210 enters configuration information using theclient device 210 in response to a solicitation from client device 210(step 268 c). For example, the user may have entered a level of parentalcontrol to be applied to the identities and devices that seek access tothe host system 220 through home-networking gateway 215. Additionally oralternatively, the user may have entered a user-defined name and/ordefault level of parental control for one or more devices on the homenetwork. In some implementations, the user may indicate time of dayand/or day of the week access restrictions that are associated with aparticular device, as described with respect to home-networking gatewayconfiguration information 115 b in FIG. 1.

The client device 210 submits the configuration information entered bythe user (step 270 c). The home-networking gateway 215 receives andforwards the configuration information to the host system 220 (step 270g). The host system 220 receives and stores the configurationinformation (step 270 h). The host system 220 may use the configurationinformation to apply parental controls. The host system 220 also may usethe configuration information to provide this or other configurationinformation (e.g., 124 or 115 b of FIG. 1) to a home-networking gateway215 that is added to the home network or to an upgraded home-networkinggateway 215.

The host system associates the stored configuration information with thehome-networking gateway 215 (step 274 h), for example, as describedpreviously with respect to step 260 h. The host system 220 then sendsthe configuration information to the home-networking gateway 215 (step278 h).

The home-networking gateway 215 receives and stores the configurationinformation in such a way as to configure the home-networking gateway215 using some or all of the received configuration information (step278 g). In some implementations, the home-networking gateway 215 mayapply the parental controls or access restrictions based on the storedconfiguration information. In such a case, the home-networking gatewaymay store the configuration information in a manner that enablesapplication of parental controls using some or all of the receivedconfiguration information. This may require storage of some or all ofthe home-networking gateway configuration information a second time onhome-networking gateway 215.

The home-networking gateway 215 sends to the host system 220 anacknowledgment that the configuration information was received and/orstored (step 280 g) and the host system 220 receives the acknowledgment(step 280 h). When the host system 220 does not receive anacknowledgment, the host system 220 may take one of several actions,such as re-sending the configuration information to the home-networkinggateway or sending an electronic mail message to the user account tonotify the user that an acknowledgment was not received.

In some implementations, the registration of a home-networking gatewayand/or the configuration of the home-networking gateway or devices maybe permitted only by a user associated with a master user account (suchas a family account or a supervisory account) or may be permitted onlyfor an account with registration and/or configuration privileges.

Additionally, in some implementations, the host system 220 may generatea password and may send the generated password to the home-networkinggateway 215. In such a case, the home-networking gateway 215 receivesthe password and stores the password in persistent storage. Thehome-networking gateway 215 may use the password to establish subsequentconnections with the host system 210. For example, the host system 220may generate a password and send the generated password when a broadbandconnection between the home-networking gateway 215 and the host system220 is established.

In some implementations, other data management techniques may be used.For example, the home-networking gateway configuration information tableor list may associate each collection of configuration information withboth a home-networking gateway identifier and a user account.

FIG. 3 shows a process 300 to configure a home-networking gateway 315used in a home network by using configuration information stored on ahost system 320 when networking gateway information is associated with auser account. Using process 300, the home-networking gateway isconfigured automatically in response to confirmation by a user of aclient device 310. In some implementations, the home-networking gatewaymay be transparently configured such that the user is unaware that theconfiguration is taking place and/or user intervention, action orresponse are unnecessary to accomplish the configuration of thehome-networking gateway.

The process 300 may be performed in relation to process 200 describedpreviously with respect to FIG. 2. In this case, the process 300 beginswhen the host system 220, which corresponds to the host system 320,determines that home-networking gateway configuration information isassociated with the user account in step 260 h of FIG. 2.

When the host system 320 determines that home-networking gatewayconfiguration information is associated with the user account, the hostsystem 320 sends to the home-networking gateway 315 a request for theuser associated with the client device 310 to confirm that theassociated configuration information may be transferred tohome-networking gateway 315 (step 364 h).

The home-networking gateway 315 receives the confirmation request andforwards the confirmation request to the client device 310 (step 364 g).The client device receives the confirmation request (step 364 h). Theuser using the client device confirms the desire for transfer associatedconfiguration information and hence for configuration of thehome-networking gateway 315 in response to a solicitation from clientdevice 310 (step 368 c). For example, the user may confirm the transferof configuration information when the user desires to configure a new orupgraded home-networking gateway. The user also may confirm the transferof configuration information when the configuration information on thehome-networking gateway has been lost, damaged, or is otherwiseinaccessible or unusable by the home-networking gateway. When the userdoes not confirm the transfer of the configuration information, theprocess ends. When the user confirms the transfer of the configurationinformation, the client device 310 submits the transfer confirmation(step 370 c).

The home-networking gateway 315 receives the transfer confirmation andforwards the transfer confirmation to the host system 320 (step 370 g).The host system 320 receives the transfer confirmation (step 370 h), andretrieves the configuration information, which may be associated withanother home-networking gateway that is associated with the user account(step 372 h). For example, the host system may look-up the user accountand home-networking gateway in a table or list that stores configurationinformation and is indexed by user account, as described previously withrespect to step 260 h of FIG. 2. The configuration informationassociated with the other home-networking gateway that is associatedwith the user account then may be retrieved. The retrieved configurationinformation may include, for example, some or all of the deviceinformation for the devices associated with the home-network, asdescribed with respect to home-networking gateway configurationinformation 115 b of FIG. 1. The retrieved configuration informationalso may include parental control levels, other access restrictions, andother information described with respect to step 268 c of FIG. 2.

The host system 320 associates the retrieved configuration informationwith the home-networking gateway 315 (step 374 h). For example, the hostsystem 320 may store a list of identifiers for home-networking gatewaysand a list of unique identifiers associated with particular sets ofconfiguration information. To associate the home-networking gateway 315with the configuration information, the host system 320 may add a recordto the list that includes an identifier for the home-networking gatewayand an identifier for the configuration information set. Other datamanagement techniques also may be used, such as described previouslywith respect to steps 258 h, 260 h, and 274 h of FIG. 2.

The host system 320 sends the retrieved configuration information to thehome-networking gateway 315 (step 378 h). The home-networking gateway315 receives and stores the configuration information (step 378 g), suchas described previously with respect to step 278 g in FIG. 2.

The home-networking gateway 315 sends to the host system 320 anacknowledgment that the configuration information was received andstored (step 380 g). The host system 320 receives the acknowledgment(step 380 h). When the host system 320 does not receive anacknowledgment, the host system 320 may take one of several actions,such as re-sending the configuration information to the home-networkinggateway or sending an electronic mail message to the user account tonotify the user that an acknowledgment was not received.

FIG. 4 illustrates a process 400 for configuring a home-networkinggateway. The process 400 may be performed by a host system, such as hostsystem 120 of FIG. 1, host system 220 of FIG. 2, or host system 320 ofFIG. 3. The process 400 begins when the host system receives a requestfor access from a device associated with a user account of a user (step410). The user account may be a supervisory account, a family account, amaster account or another type of user account that is permitted toregister a home-networking gateway and/or modify the configuration ofthe home-networking gateway.

The host system authenticates the user account (step 420). For example,the host system may authenticate the account by requesting authorizationinformation, receiving authorization information, and authenticating theaccount based on the received authentication information, such asdescribed previously with respect to steps 234 h-240 h of FIG. 2.

The host system receives home-networking gateway identifying information(step 425). This may be performed, for example, as described above withrespect to steps 230 g-230 h of FIG. 2. In some implementations, thehome-networking gateway identifying information may be received inresponse to a request for home-networking gateway identifyinginformation sent by the host system to the home-networking gateway.

The host system determines whether the home-networking gateway isassociated with a user account (step 430). This may be performed, forexample, as described previously with respect to step 244 h of FIG. 2.When the host system determines that the home-networking gateway hasbeen associated with a user account, the host system permits thehome-networking gateway to access host services (step 435).

When the host system determines that the home-networking gateway has notbeen associated with a user account, the host system determines whetherto associate the user account with the home-networking gateway (step440). This may be accomplished, for example, by requesting confirmationthat the home-networking gateway is intended to be associated with theuser account from a user associated with the device communicatingthrough the home-networking gateway, such as described previously withrespect to steps 248 h-254 h of FIG. When the user does not so confirm,the host system permits the home-networking gateway to access hostservices (step 435).

When the user confirms that the home-networking gateway is intended tobe associated with the user account, the host system associates thehome-networking gateway with the user account (step 445). This may beaccomplished as described previously with respect to step 258 h of FIG.2.

The host system may optionally generate a password and send thegenerated password to the home-networking gateway (step 450). The hostsystem also may optionally establish a connection with thehome-networking gateway based on the password and/or additionalconnection information (step 460). For example, the host system maygenerate a password, send the password, and establish a new connectionwhen a broadband connection between a home-networking gateway and a hostsystem is established.

The host system determines whether configuration information isassociated with a different home-networking gateway that is associatedwith the user account authenticated in step 420 (step 470). Thedetermination of whether configuration information is associated withthe home-networking gateway may be accomplished, for example, asdescribed with respect to step 260 h of FIG. 2.

When the host system determines that configuration information is notassociated with the other home-networking gateway that is associatedwith the user account, the host system requests configurationinformation (step 480). For example, the host system may access deviceconfiguration information from the home-networking gateway and/or mayrequest additional configuration information from the user associatedwith the account, such as described with respect to step 264 h of FIG.2. The host system receives and stores configuration information (step485). This may be accomplished by performing step 270 h of FIG. 2.

The host system associates the stored configuration information with thehome-networking gateway and the account, such as described with respectto step 274 h of FIG. 2 and step 374 h of FIG. 3 (step 490). The hostsystem also may send the configuration information to thehome-networking gateway (step 492). This may be accomplished byperforming step 278 h of FIG. 2 or step 378 h of FIG. 3. The host systemthen permits the home-networking gateway to access host services (step435).

When the host system determines that configuration information isassociated with another home-networking gateway associated with the useraccount, the host system accesses that configuration information (step495). This may be accomplished, for example, as described with respectto step 372 h of FIG. 3. The host system then associates the accessedconfiguration information with the home-networking gateway and the useraccount (step 490) and proceeds as previously described.

FIG. 5 illustrates a process 500 that may be used to configure one ormore wireless access points. The process 500 may be performed by ahome-networking gateway that may optionally include a wireless accesspoint or otherwise be configured to communicate over a wirelesscommunications pathway. Examples of a home-networking gateway that mayperform process 500 include home-networking gateway 115 of FIG. 1,home-networking gateway 215 of FIG. 2, or home-networking gateway 315 ofFIG. 3, each of which have been described previously.

The process 500 begins when a home-networking gateway receives andstores wireless configuration information (step 510). Wirelessconfiguration information may include a security key and a network name,as described previously with respect to wireless configurationinformation 115 c of FIG. 1. Reception and storage of configurationinformation may occur during the manufacturing or distribution processof the home-networking gateway. For example, the home-networking gatewaymay be pre-configured with wireless configuration information at afactory or distribution point. Alternatively or additionally, thehome-networking gateway may receive the wireless configurationinformation by accessing storage media (including magnetic, optical orsolid state storage media) or any type of storage device (including adrive, a microdrive, a compact disc (CD), a recordable CD, a rewriteableCD, a flash memory, or a solid-state floppy disk card) that stores thewireless configuration information. The home-networking gateway also mayreceive the wireless configuration information from a user interface ofthe home-networking gateway through which a user may enter wirelessconfiguration information to be stored by the home-networking gateway.The home-networking gateway also may receive the wireless configurationinformation when the user configures another wireless device.

The home-networking gateway is connected to a wireless access point,such as described with respect to item 112 h of FIG. 1, using a wiredcommunications pathway (step 520) and communications are establishedbetween the home-networking gateway and the wireless access point usingthe wired pathway (step 530). The wired communications pathway may be awired communications pathway of a wired network. The wiredcommunications pathway also may be a wired communications pathwayprovided through a wire specifically designed to connect a wirelessaccess point to a home-networking gateway (and not designed for generalnetwork communications).

The home-networking gateway and the wireless access point establishcommunications using a protocol known to both devices. For example, UPnP(“Universal Plug and Play”) may be used. When a wire is plugged into thewireless access point, the wireless access point may announce itspresence by sending a message over the wire. The home-networking gatewaymay receive the message and detect the wireless access point based onthe received message. The home-networking gateway may send to thewireless access point a reply message announcing the presence of thehome-networking gateway.

The home-networking gateway accesses wireless configuration informationpreviously established for the wireless network, generally with respectto another wireless device (step 540). The wireless configurationinformation may be stored on the home-networking gateway or may beotherwise accessible to the home-networking gateway. For example,wireless configuration information may be stored on a persistent storagedevice that is accessible to the home-networking gateway through anetwork connection or other connection between the home-networkinggateway and the persistent storage device.

The home-networking gateway may access configuration informationtransparently to the user, such that the user is unaware thatconfiguration information is accessed. Alternatively, thehome-networking gateway also may access configuration informationautomatically in response to user confirmation that the connectedwireless access point is to be configured. The home-networking gatewaymay access configuration information stored on a host system, such as ina manner described with respect to FIG. 2 and/or FIG. 3.

The home-networking gateway sends the wireless configuration informationusing the wired communications pathway to the wireless access point(step 550), and the wireless device uses this information forconfiguration and sends a confirmation (not shown). Later, thehome-networking gateway receives an acknowledgment sent by the wirelessaccess point that the wireless access point has been configured usingthe wireless configuration information (step 560). In someimplementations, the home-networking gateway may perform theconfiguration of the wireless access point in lieu of receiving anacknowledgment that the wireless access point has been configured. Forexample, the home-networking gateway may do so by remotely initiating aconfiguration process on the wireless access point and sendingconfiguration information (e.g., by using a remote procedure call).

When another wireless access point subsequently is connected and needsconfiguration (step 570), the process 500 continues with the connectionof a different wireless access point to the home-networking gateway, asdescribed previously with respect to step 520.

When no other wireless access point is to be configured (step 570), theprocess 500 ends (step 580).

In some implementations, the wireless access point may pull informationfrom the home-networking gateway in addition to or in lieu of thehome-networking gateway sending the wireless configuration informationin step 550.

The process 500 enables several advantageous features, some of which aredescribed below. The process 500 allows a user to enter the wirelessconfiguration information once and use the entered wirelessconfiguration information to configure more than one wireless accesspoint automatically in response to a confirmation of a user. In somecases, the entered wireless configuration information may be used toconfigure a wireless device transparently such that the user is unawarethat the wireless device has been configured. The process 500 may beparticularly beneficial when multiple wireless access points are to beconfigured for use in a single network. Additionally or alternatively,the process 500 may allow a more convenient user interface for theconfiguration of even a single wireless access point over conventionalinterfaces provided through a wireless access point.

FIG. 6 shows a process for communicating between a wireless access point610 and a home-networking gateway 615 to configure the wireless accesspoint 610. The wireless access point 610 may be a wireless access pointconnected to a home network, such as wireless access point 112 h ofFIG. 1. The wireless access point 610 may be physically connectedthrough a wired pathway to home-networking gateway 615, such ashome-networking gateway 115 of FIG. 1, home-networking gateway 215 ofFIG. 2, or home-networking gateway 315 of FIG. 3.

The process 600 begins when the wireless access point 610 establishescommunications with the home-networking gateway 615 over a wiredcommunications pathway (step 630 w). This may be accomplished, forexample, as described previously with respect to step 530 of FIG. 5.

The home-networking gateway 615 accesses wireless configurationinformation (step 630 g). This may be accomplished, for example, asdescribed previously with respect to step 540 of FIG. 5.

The home-networking gateway 615 sends the wireless configurationinformation accessed in step 630 g to the wireless access point 610(step 640 g). This may be accomplished, for example, as described abovewith respect to step 550 of FIG. 5.

The wireless access point 610 receives the wireless configurationinformation (step 640 w) and modifies its configuration based on thereceived wireless configuration information (step 645 w). For example,the wireless access point 610 may update a configuration table (orotherwise modify the configuration parameters) with the wirelessconfiguration information received. Alternatively or additionally, thehome-networking gateway 615 may act as a configuration proxy anddirectly modify the configuration table or parameters on the wirelessaccess point 610.

The wireless access point 610 sends to the home-networking gateway 615an acknowledgment that the wireless configuration settings have beenmodified (step 650 w). The home-networking gateway 615 receives theacknowledgment (step 650 g).

In some implementations, the home-networking gateway 615 may determinewhether the wireless access point 610 has been previously configured.For example, the home-networking gateway 615 may access wirelessconfiguration information and send the wireless configurationinformation to the wireless access point only when the wireless accesspoint has not been previously configured or has been previouslyconfigured with different configuration information.

Using the process 600, a wireless access point may be configuredtransparently to the user such that user action, response or other typesof intervention by the user to enable configuration are unnecessary(other than connecting the wireless access point and host-networkinggateway using a wire or other physical connection). In someimplementations, the home-networking gateway automatically may configurethe wireless access point in response to user confirmation that thewireless access point is to be configured.

FIG. 7 depicts a process 700 for communicating between a wireless device710 and a home-networking gateway 715 to configure the wireless device710. In general, the wireless device 710 may be configured by thehome-networking gateway 715 when the home-networking gateway 715receives a security code that is available only to an operator of thehome-networking gateway that is within the premises in which thehome-networking gateway is located.

A security code may be available because the security code is publishedand perceivable only to an operator of the home-networking gateway 715that is within the premises in which the home-networking gateway 715 islocated. The operator may enter the security code in response to aprompt or other request from the home-networking gateway 715. Forexample, a security code may be imprinted or otherwise attached to thecase of the home-networking gateway 715 and may be entered by ahome-networking gateway operator into the wireless device through a userinterface. A label may be placed on the home-networking gateway 715 thatidentifies the security code and enables the operator to enter thesecurity code in response to a prompt by the home-networking gateway715.

Additionally or alternatively, the operator may be able to display thesecurity code using the home-networking gateway 715 and enter thedisplayed code into the wireless device in response to a prompt or othertype of request by the home-networking gateway 715. The home-networkinggateway 715 may access a security code that has been programmed into (orotherwise stored on) the home-networking gateway 715 before delivery tothe owner of the home-networking gateway. For example, thehome-networking gateway 715 may be programmed or otherwise configuredwith the security code at a factory or at a distribution point. Thehome-networking gateway 715 also may access a security code that isstored on a removable magnetic, optical or solid state storage deviceassociated with the home-networking gateway.

Conversely, a security code also may be available to the wireless devicethrough the use of removable storage that contains the security code andthe security code may not be known by the home-networking gatewayoperator. For example, the wireless device 710 may determine thesecurity code to be submitted by accessing removable storage on whichthe security code has been stored. For instance, the security code maybe programmed into a hardware key which may be made available to thehome-networking gateway operator and which may be physically accessed bythe wireless device to enable access. In some cases, the removable mediamay be a wireless communications card on which the home-networkinggateway stores the wireless configuration information.

The wireless device 710 may be a wireless device that is capable ofcommunicating with a home network, for example, by communicating with awireless access point, such as wireless access point 112 h of FIG. 1, orwith a home-networking gateway that includes wireless communicationcapabilities. The wireless device 610 also may have a capability tocommunicate over a wired connection to a home-networking gateway. Forexample, the wireless device 610 may be a laptop computer, such aslaptop computer 112 f, or a PDA, such as PDA 112 g, that may be equippedwith both wireless and wired communication capabilities. The wirelessdevice 710 is physically connected through a wired communicationspathway to the home-networking gateway 715, which may correspond, forexample, to the home-networking gateway 115 of FIG. 1, thehome-networking gateway 215 of FIG. 2, the home-networking gateway 315of FIG. 3, or the home-networking gateway 615 of FIG. 6.

The process 700 begins when the wireless device 710 establishescommunications over the wired communications pathway with thehome-networking gateway 715 (step 730 w). The wired communicationspathway may be a wired communications pathway that uses a networkcommunications pathway. The wired communications pathway also may be awired communications pathway that may be provided through a wirespecifically designed to connect a wireless access point to ahome-networking gateway and not designed for general networkcommunications.

The home-networking gateway 715 requests provision of a wirelessconfiguration security code from the wireless device 710 (step 735 g).

The wireless device 710 receives the request (step 735 w) and submitsthe wireless configuration security code (step 740 w). The wirelessconfiguration security code may be submitted through the input of asecurity code by the home-networking gateway operator in response to aprompt or other type of request. The wireless configuration securitycode may be submitted when the wireless device 710 accesses a removablestorage device that stores the security code.

The home-networking gateway receives the wireless configuration securitycode (step 740 g) and validates the received wireless configurationsecurity code (step 750 g).

The home-networking gateway may validate the received wirelessconfiguration security code by comparing the received security code witha security code accessible to (or otherwise known to) thehome-networking gateway 715 (e.g., a trusted security code). Thereceived security code is valid when both security codes match. When thehome-networking gateway 715 is not able to validate the submittedsecurity code, the process 700 ends.

When the home-networking gateway 715 is able to validate the receivedsecurity code, the home-networking gateway 715 accesses wirelessconfiguration information (step 755 g). For example, the home-networkinggateway 715 may store wireless configuration information, as describedpreviously with respect to home-networking gateway 115 of FIG. 1. Theaccessed wireless configuration information may include, for example, asecurity key (e.g., a WEP key), a network name (such as a SSID), a listof devices permitted to access the network, and other information neededto configure the device to work on the wireless home network.

The home-networking gateway 715 sends the accessed wirelessconfiguration information to the wireless device (step 760 g). Thewireless device 710 receives the wireless configuration information(step 760 w) and modifies the configuration information previouslystored by the wireless device (step 765 w), to the extent that itexists. For example, the wireless device 710 may update a configurationtable (or otherwise modify the configuration parameters) with thewireless configuration information received. Alternatively oradditionally, the home-networking gateway 715 may act as a configurationproxy and modify the configuration table or parameters on the wirelessdevice 710. In some implementations, the wireless device 710 may includemore than one set of configuration settings. The set of configurationsettings used by the wireless device 710 may be based on the networkidentifier of the wireless network with which the wireless device 710 iscommunicating. For example, a laptop computer may store a set ofconfiguration settings to communicate with a wireless network at anoffice and may also store a different set of configuration settings tocommunicate with a wireless network at a residence or home. The laptopcomputer may communicate with either the office network or the homenetwork using the appropriate settings.

The wireless device 710 sends to the home-networking gateway 715 anacknowledgment that the wireless configuration settings have beenmodified (step 770 w). The home-networking gateway 615 receives theacknowledgment (step 770 g). When the home-networking gateway 715 doesnot receive an acknowledgment, the home-networking gateway 715 may takeone of several actions, such as re-sending the wireless configurationinformation to the wireless device 710 or sending an electronic mailmessage to a user account to notify the user that an acknowledgment wasnot received. In some implementations, the wireless device 710 may pullinformation from the home-networking gateway 715 in addition to or inlieu of the home-networking gateway sending the wireless configurationinformation in step 760 g.

Alternatively, a memory card, a memory key, or another type of removablestorage device may be used to simulate or facilitate communicationsbetween the wireless device 710 and the home-networking gateway 715. Forexample, an operator of the home-networking gateway 715 may insert theremovable storage device into to the home-networking gateway 715. Thehome-networking gateway 715 may access the security code and store thesecurity code on the inserted removable storage device. After storage iscomplete, the operator may remove the removable storage device from thehome-networking gateway and insert the removable storage device into thewireless device. The wireless device may access the security code andprovide the accessed security code to the home-networking gateway 715.

In some implementations, the operator may insert a removable storagedevice configuration card into the home-networking gateway (or otherdevice, such as a wireless access point) and the home-networking gatewaymay access the stored wireless configuration information and copy thewireless configuration to the removable storage device without requiringthe wireless device to provide a security code. The operator may removethe removable storage device from the home-networking gateway for use intransporting the configuration information to a wireless device. In someimplementations, the removable storage media may be a communicationscard for use by the wireless device 710. The home-networking gatewayoperator may insert the communications card in the wireless device 710to enable wireless communications between the wireless device 710 andthe home-networking gateway 715.

The process 700 enables several advantageous features, some of which aredescribed below. For example, only users with physical access to thehome-networking gateway in the residence are able to access theconfiguration information for the home network (e.g., the wirelessconfiguration information is not broadcast over a wireless network).

In some implementations, a wireless access point or other device mayperform the functions described as being performed by thehome-networking gateway 715.

Although the techniques and concepts have been described in which a hostsystem stores configuration information and performs a proxyconfiguration service for a wireless device, a wireless access point, ora home-networking gateway, a trusted system that may not necessarily bein a host-client relationship with the home-networking gateway may beused in place of the described host system. Another type of trustedcomputing device also may be used to perform the described techniquesand concepts. For example, a general-purpose computer accessible to thenetwork, such as in a peer-to-peer relationship, or another trustedcomputer system may be used to perform the functions described as beingperformed by the host system.

Although the techniques and concepts have been described in which a useraccount is authenticated and associated with information for ahome-networking gateway or other communication device, the user accountdoes not necessarily need to be a subscriber account. The techniques andconcepts described with respect to a user account are applicable to auser identity or an operator operating a device or a home-networkinggateway.

The techniques and concepts are applicable to home network devices otherthan a home-networking gateway. For example, a router, a digital hub, ageneral-purpose computer, or a single-purpose configuration managementdevice may perform the functions described as being performed by thehome-networking gateway.

Implementations may include a method or process, an apparatus or system,or computer software on a computer medium. It will be understood thatvarious modifications may be made that still fall within the followingclaims. For example, advantageous results still could be achieved ifsteps of the disclosed techniques were performed in a different orderand/or if components in the disclosed systems were combined in adifferent manner and/or replaced or supplemented by other components.

1. A method for configuring a wireless access point in a home network,the method comprising: detecting that a wired connection has beenestablished between a wireless access point and a home-networkinggateway associated with a home network; in response to detecting thatthe wired connection has been established between the wireless accesspoint and the home-networking gateway, automatically establishing acommunications session over the wired connection between the wirelessaccess point and the home-networking gateway; accessing wirelessconfiguration information at the home-networking gateway, the wirelessconfiguration information being useful to configure wireless accesspoints to enable wireless communications between the home-networkinggateway and one or more wireless devices on the home network through thewireless access points; using the automatically establishedcommunications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information over the wired connection between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point; and establishingwireless communications between the home-networking gateway and awireless device on the home network through the wireless access pointbased, at least in part, on the wireless configuration informationcommunicated to the wireless access point from the home-networkinggateway.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising configuring thewireless access point based on the communicated wireless configurationinformation.
 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising repeating theestablishing of a communications session and the using the automaticallyestablished communications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information to more than one wireless access point.
 4. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the wireless configuration informationincludes a security key and a network name.
 5. The method of claim 1wherein the wireless configuration information includes a list of one ormore devices that are permitted to access the home network.
 6. Themethod of claim 1 wherein: accessing wireless configuration informationat the home-networking gateway further comprises sending a request fromthe wireless access point to the home-networking gateway for wirelessconfiguration information; and using the automatically establishedcommunications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information over the wired connection between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point further comprisesreceiving the accessed wireless configuration information at thewireless access point.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein: accessingwireless configuration information at the home-networking gatewaycomprises locating wireless configuration information stored at thehome-networking gateway; and using the automatically establishedcommunications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information over the wired connection between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point comprises sendingthe accessed wireless configuration information from the home-networkinggateway to the wireless access point.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein:accessing wireless configuration information at the home-networkinggateway comprises retrieving the wireless configuration information froma trusted system through a communications session established betweenthe home-networking gateway and the trusted system; and using theautomatically established communications session to communicate theaccessed wireless configuration information over the wired connectionbetween the home-networking gateway and the wireless access pointcomprises sending the accessed wireless configuration information fromthe home-networking gateway to the wireless access point.
 9. The methodof claim 1 further comprising determining whether the wireless accesspoint is configured to communicate with the home-networking gatewayusing a wireless pathway, wherein using the automatically establishedcommunications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information over the wired connection between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point comprises usingthe automatically established communications session to communicate theaccessed wireless configuration information over the wired connectionbetween the home-networking gateway and the wireless access point whenthe wireless access point is not configured to communicate with thehome-networking gateway using a wireless pathway.
 10. The method ofclaim 1 wherein using the automatically established communicationssession to communicate the accessed wireless configuration informationcomprises using the automatically established communications session tocommunicate the accessed wireless configuration information over thewired connection between the home-networking gateway and the wirelessaccess point in response to a request by a user associated with thehome-networking gateway.
 11. The method of claim 1 wherein accessingwireless configuration information comprises accessing wirelessconfiguration information at the home-networking gateway automaticallyin response to confirmation from a user that confirms wirelessconfiguration information should be communicated between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point.
 12. The method ofclaim 1 wherein accessing wireless configuration information comprisesaccessing wireless configuration information at the home-networkinggateway transparently to a user associated with the home-networkinggateway.
 13. The method of claim 1 wherein using the automaticallyestablished communications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information comprises using the automatically establishedcommunications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information over the wired connection between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point automatically inresponse to confirmation from a user that confirms wirelessconfiguration information should be communicated between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point.
 14. The method ofclaim 1 wherein using the automatically established communicationssession to communicate the accessed wireless configuration informationcomprises using the communications session to communicate the accessedwireless configuration information over the wired connection between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point transparently to auser associated with the home-networking gateway.
 15. A system forconfiguring a wireless access point in a home network, the systemcomprising: a means for detecting that a wired connection has beenestablished between a wireless access point and a home-networkinggateway; a means for automatically establishing a communications sessionover the wired connection between the wireless access point and thehome-networking gateway in response to detecting that the wiredconnection has been established between the wireless access point andthe home-networking gateway; a means for accessing wirelessconfiguration information at the home-networking gateway, the wirelessconfiguration information being useful to configure wireless accesspoints to enable wireless communications between the home-networkinggateway and one or more wireless devices on the home network through thewireless access points; a means for using the automatically establishedcommunications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information over the wired connection between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point; and a means forestablishing wireless communications between the home-networking gatewayand a wireless device on the home network through the wireless accesspoint based, at least in part, on the wireless configuration informationcommunicated to the wireless access point from the home-networkinggateway.
 16. The system of claim 15 further comprising a means forconfiguring the wireless access point based on the communicated wirelessconfiguration information.
 17. The system of claim 15 further comprisinga means for repeating the establishing of a communications session andthe using the automatically established communications session tocommunicate the accessed wireless configuration information to more thanone wireless access point.
 18. The system of claim 15 wherein thewireless configuration information includes a security key and a networkname.
 19. The system of claim 15 wherein the wireless configurationinformation includes a list of one or more devices that are permitted toaccess the home network.
 20. The system of claim 15 wherein: the meansfor accessing wireless configuration information at the home-networkinggateway further comprises a means for sending a request from thewireless access point to the home-networking gateway for wirelessconfiguration information; and the means for using the automaticallyestablished communications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information over the wired connection between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point further comprisesa means for receiving the accessed wireless configuration information atthe wireless access point.
 21. The system of claim 15 wherein: the meansfor accessing wireless configuration information at the home-networkinggateway comprises a means for locating wireless configurationinformation stored at the home-networking gateway; and the means forusing the automatically established communications session tocommunicate the accessed wireless configuration information over thewired connection between the home-networking gateway and the wirelessaccess point comprises a means for sending the accessed wirelessconfiguration information from the home-networking gateway to thewireless access point.
 22. The system of claim 15 wherein: the means foraccessing wireless configuration information at the home-networkinggateway comprises a means for retrieving the wireless configurationinformation from a trusted system through a communications sessionestablished between the home-networking gateway and the trusted system;and the means for using the automatically established communicationssession to communicate the accessed wireless configuration informationover the wired connection between the home-networking gateway and thewireless access point comprises a means for sending the accessedwireless configuration information from the home-networking gateway tothe wireless access point.
 23. The system of claim 15 further comprisinga means for determining whether the wireless access point is configuredto communicate with the home-networking gateway using a wirelesspathway, wherein the means for using the automatically establishedcommunications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information comprises a means for using the automaticallyestablished communications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information over the wired connection between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point when the wirelessaccess point is not configured to communicate with the home-networkinggateway using a wireless pathway.
 24. The system of claim 15 wherein themeans for using the automatically established communications session tocommunicate the accessed wireless configuration information comprises ameans for using the automatically established communications session tocommunicate the accessed wireless configuration information between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point in response to arequest by a user associated with the home-networking gateway.
 25. Thesystem of claim 15 wherein the means for accessing wirelessconfiguration information comprises a means for accessing wirelessconfiguration information at the home-networking gateway automaticallyin response to confirmation from a user that confirms wirelessconfiguration information should be communicated between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point.
 26. The system ofclaim 15 wherein the means for accessing wireless configurationinformation comprises a means for accessing wireless configurationinformation at the home-networking gateway transparently to a userassociated with the home-networking gateway.
 27. The system of claim 15wherein the means for using the automatically established communicationssession to communicate the accessed wireless configuration informationcomprises a means for using the automatically established communicationssession to communicate the accessed wireless configuration informationover the wired connection between the home-networking gateway and thewireless access point automatically in response to confirmation from auser that confirms wireless configuration information should becommunicated between the home-networking gateway and the wireless accesspoint.
 28. The system of claim 15 wherein the means for using theautomatically established communications session to communicate theaccessed wireless configuration information comprises a means for usingthe automatically established communications session to communicate theaccessed wireless configuration information over the wired connectionbetween the home-networking gateway and the wireless access pointtransparently to a user associated with the home-networking gateway. 29.A computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program toconfigure a wireless access point in a home network, the mediumcomprising one or more code segments configured to: detect that a wiredconnection has been established between a wireless access point and ahome-networking gateway; automatically establish a communicationssession over the wired connection between the wireless access point andthe home-networking gateway; gateway in response to detecting that thewired connection has been established between the wireless access pointand the home-networking gateway; access wireless configurationinformation at the home-networking gateway, the wireless configurationinformation being useful to configure wireless access points to enablewireless communications between the home-networking gateway and one ormore wireless devices on the home network through the wireless accesspoints; use the automatically established communications session tocommunicate the accessed wireless configuration information over thewired connection between the home-networking gateway and the wirelessaccess point; and establish wireless communications between thehome-networking gateway and a wireless device on the home networkthrough the wireless access point based, at least in part, on thewireless configuration information communicated to the wireless accesspoint from the home-networking gateway.
 30. The medium of claim 29further comprising one or more code segments configured to configure thewireless access point based on the communicated wireless configurationinformation.
 31. The medium of claim 29 further comprising one or morecode segments configured to repeat the establishing of a communicationssession and the using the automatically established communicationssession to communicate the accessed wireless configuration informationto more than one wireless access point.
 32. The medium of claim 29wherein the wireless configuration information includes a security keyand a network name.
 33. The medium of claim 29 wherein the wirelessconfiguration information includes a list of one or more devices thatare permitted to access the home network.
 34. The medium of claim 29wherein: the one or more code segments configured to access wirelessconfiguration information at the home-networking gateway comprise one ormore code segments configured to send a request from the access point tothe home-networking gateway for wireless configuration information; andthe one or more code segments configured to use the automaticallyestablished communications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information over the wired connection between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point further comprisesone or more code segments configured to receive the accessed wirelessconfiguration information at the wireless access point.
 35. The mediumof claim 29 wherein: the one or more code segments configured to accesswireless configuration information at the home-networking gatewaycomprise one or more code segments configured to locate wirelessconfiguration information stored at the home-networking gateway; and theone or more code segments configured to use the automaticallyestablished communications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information over the wired connection between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point comprise one ormore code segments configured to send the accessed wirelessconfiguration information from the home-networking gateway to thewireless access point.
 36. The medium of claim 29 wherein: the one ormore code segments configured to access wireless configurationinformation at the home-networking gateway comprise one or more codesegments configured to retrieve the wireless configuration informationfrom a trusted system through a communications session establishedbetween the home-networking gateway and the trusted system; and the oneor more code segments configured to use the automatically establishedcommunications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information over the wired connection between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point comprise one ormore code segments configured to send the accessed wirelessconfiguration information from the home-networking gateway to thewireless access point.
 37. The medium of claim 29 further comprising oneor more code segments configured to determine whether the wirelessaccess point is configured to communicate with the home-networkinggateway using a wireless pathway, wherein the one or more code segmentsconfigured to use the automatically established communications sessionto communicate the accessed wireless configuration information compriseone or more code segments configured to use the automaticallyestablished communications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information over the wired connection between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point when the wirelessaccess point is not configured to communicate with the home-networkinggateway using a wireless pathway.
 38. The medium of claim 29 wherein theone or more code segments configured to use the automaticallyestablished communications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information comprise one or more code segments configuredto use the automatically established communications session tocommunicate the accessed wireless configuration information over thewired connection between the home-networking gateway and the wirelessaccess point in response to a request by a user associated with thehome-networking gateway.
 39. The medium of claim 29 wherein the one ormore code segments configured to access wireless configurationinformation comprise one or more code segments configured to accesswireless configuration information at the home-networking gatewayautomatically in response to confirmation from a user that confirmswireless configuration information should be communicated between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point.
 40. The medium ofclaim 29 wherein the one or more code segments configured to accesswireless configuration information comprise one or more code segmentsconfigured to access wireless configuration information at thehome-networking gateway transparently to a user associated with thehome-networking gateway.
 41. The medium of claim 29 wherein the one ormore code segments configured to use the automatically establishedcommunications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information comprise one or more code segments configuredto use the automatically established communications session tocommunicate the accessed wireless configuration information over thewired connection between the home-networking gateway and the wirelessaccess point automatically in response to confirmation from a user thatconfirms wireless configuration information should be communicatedbetween the home-networking gateway and the wireless access point. 42.The medium of claim 29 wherein the one or more code segments configuredto use the automatically established communications session tocommunicate the accessed wireless configuration information comprise oneor more code segments configured to use the automatically establishedcommunications session to communicate the accessed wirelessconfiguration information over the wired connection between thehome-networking gateway and the wireless access point transparently to auser identity.
 43. The method of claim 1 wherein: detecting that a wiredconnection has been established between a wireless access point and ahome-networking gateway associated with the home network comprisesdetecting that a wired connection has been established between a newlyadded wireless access point and the home-networking gateway; and thewireless configuration information comprises previously establishedwireless configuration information that is useful to configure newlyadded wireless access points to enable wireless communications betweenthe home-networking gateway and one or more wireless devices already onthe home network through the newly added wireless access points suchthat using the automatically established communications session tocommunicate the accessed wireless configuration information over thewired connection between the home-networking gateway and the wirelessaccess point comprises using the automatically establishedcommunications session to communicate previously established wirelessconfiguration information that is useful to configure the newly addedwireless access point to enable wireless communications between thehome-networking gateway and one or more wireless devices already on thehome network through the newly added wireless access point over thewired connection between the home-networking gateway and the newly addedwireless access point.